Using Wormy Apples-A Story on the Latest Apple Glean and Food Waste Diversion

On the last week of September of this year, Mike Lockwood,
gleaning coordinator for Community Services of Moses Lake, received an email
from Cave B Winery and Resort. The email
asked if CSML and the gleaners of Moses Lake Senior Center would be interested
in receiving Red Delicious Apples. The
reason was that they plan to tear out the apple trees in the very near future
because they were not profitable. Mike
went down to the winery and examined the supply of apples. He arranged three pick-ups: two of them were
directly done by CSML and the other done by the gleaners. As a result, CSML received 6,342 pounds of
apples.

For the most part they were in good shape and edible, but some
of them had burrow holes from worms and moths, which can be a turn off to the
general consumer. However, that does not
mean the apples are no less edible than healthy ones. The issue of the appearance of our food and throwing
it out is the main food waste problem in the United States. We waste food that does not look appealing
but it is still edible (with a few
exceptions, of course). But if the
fruit for the most part is still edible, it can be salvageable.

Basically, the way to salvage the wormy/buggy apples is by
cutting the bad parts and using the more edible ones. On this website (http://montanasolarcreations.com/2012/09/5-easy-tips-on-how-to-salvage-wormy-fruit-and-make-applesauce-from-wormy-apples.html),
it takes you step by step on how to salvage wormy apples as well as what to do
with the unsalvageable parts of the apple. More importantly, the salvageable pieces
can be used in pies, applesauce, or even snacking. If you care about wasting as little food as
possible and are willing to take the time to remove the bad parts, then use the
knowledge on how to save imperfect but still edible food.

Finally, I would like to express my thanks to
the Cave B Winery for donating their apples to us. Thanks to you, we collected 6,342 pounds of
apples that will go out and feed the families we serve.